7 Most Difficult PS1 Games Ever Made

The original PlayStation isn’t as well-known for difficult games as some earlier consoles. After all, there’s a reason it’s called “Nintendo Hard” and not “Sony Hard.” That said, the PlayStation still has its fair share of tough tests for players who want to really dig into difficult games. Whether it’s frustrating mechanics, impossible puzzles, or downright bizarre design, these games are notable for being nearly impossible for most fans.

Here are the seven hardest games on the PlayStation.

7) Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero

Sub-Zero is generally seen as one of the worst games of this generation. Midway tried to mix Mortal Kombat‘s fighting with RPG and platforming elements, and it just doesn’t work. The boss fights are nearly impossible to figure out without a guide, and that Wind level will forever live in your nightmares if you ever play through this one. Even great FMV scenes can’t save Sub-Zero from being a stinker. It’s challenging in the worst way. In a word, Sub-Zero is frustrating.

6) Driver

Driver sets the stage with its first challenge. The Driver tutorial is one of the toughest tests a game has ever had, and the developers at Reflections Interactive make you complete it to even get to the story. You’ll need to complete several challenges under a strict time crunch.

Making that even more difficult is that you have to do it in a small parking garage and must start over if you take too much damage. Finally, Driver never tells you how to perform any of the maneuvers needed to complete this challenge, making this one of the worst roadblocks in gaming history. Incredibly, later challenges can spike the difficulty even higher, because most players put the control down after failing the tutorial a few dozen times.

5) Vagrant Story

Vagrant Story is often seen as one of the great overlooked RPGs on the original PlayStation. It may be overlooked because so many players bounced off this dastardly difficult role-playing adventure. See, Vagrant Story has a wholly unique combat system that takes some getting used to.

In fact, even common enemies can provide a challenge. You’ll need to constantly be on your toes, as nearly every encounter can quickly end with your death. Thankfully, the grind is worth it because Vagrant Story is one of the finest RPGs of the era.

4) Rayman

Rayman might look cutesy, but the first game is one of the toughest platformers of the ’90s. Unfortunately, it’s not challenging in a fun way. This isn’t Super Mario World, where the difficulty comes from mastering the near-perfect gameplay.

Instead, Rayman uses tons of cheap tricks to throw you off your game. That includes spiked pits and slippery slopes, which become even more annoying when you add in the oddly timed monster spawns. You’ll never know exactly where the next enemy is coming from, making it almost impossible to get into a good rhythm.

3) Nightmare Creatures

Most of the early 3D action games from the PlayStation are challenging to control. After all, developers were just learning how to harness the increased power of the system to make great games. Nightmare Creatures takes that to the next level with hellish monsters and the adrenaline system.

The monsters in Nightmare Creatures pose a challenge on their own. These beasts are here to kill you, and they’ll waste no time doing so. However, Nightmare Creatures‘ adrenaline system constantly pushes you into the next battle. You’re effectively on a time limit, which means you don’t get to take a breath after a fight. You’ll consistently feel underprepared and stressed for each fight, turning this into a vicious cycle of difficulty.

2) King’s Field

It’s probably not a surprise that one of the early games from Dark Souls‘ developer FromSoftware is on this list. The King’s Field series is essentially the blueprint for FromSoft’s genre-defining series. Yes, it’s limited visually, and the team hadn’t quite worked out the control kinks, but you can see the bones of Dark Souls.

Like the hit series, King’s Field hits like a brick. It also doesn’t help that it was trying so many new things that it’s almost impossible to wrap your head around without a guide. Those were tough to find for this niche game from 1994, so you were much more likely to spend hours beating your head against the wall.

1) Tenchu: Stealth Assassins

The Tenchu series quickly dropped off after the first game, but developer Acquire knocked this first game out of the park. Incredibly, this classic stealth adventure was the studio’s first game, making it even more impressive. Tenchu puts you into the shoes of a stealthy ninja, but don’t think that means you’re a master fighter.

Instead, Tenchu is all about finding ways through its 11 sandbox levels that will keep you in the shadows. If you step out for a second, you’ll likely die before you know what hits you. Tenchu forces you to play its way, making for an incredibly challenging experience for anyone who lacks the patience needed to become a true ninja.

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